by Phil Houseal | Nov 7, 2018 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Nov 7, 2018–My first exposure to “fine art” growing up was the work of Charlie Russell. My dad, who raised horses, loved the way Russell rendered them in his paintings, as well as the unadorned representation of the life of the cowboy that ironically emphasized the...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 31, 2018 | All Articles, Events, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Nov 1, 2018–Confession: When I first played in a Texas dance hall, I didn’t get it. Everyone ignored the band. I was used to being on stage in clubs and bars where the band was the show; the dancing was incidental. This was the opposite. Ray Benson, founder of the...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 25, 2018 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Oct 24, 2018–Note: As a treat for the season, here is a story that won a newspaper Halloween writing contest. While written in 1982, it now feels uncomfortably true. It was uncomfortable inside the mask. Though the cool autumn air swirled through George’s thin...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 18, 2018 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country
Oct 17, 2018–When we first moved from town out to the country, one of the joys was taking walks with the kids. My daughter was appalled seeing the trash strewn along the side of the road. “Why do people do that?” she indignantly asked as only a 10-year-old girl...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 10, 2018 | All Articles, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Oct 10, 2018–G-g-g-g-g-ghosts? In Fredericksburg? Afraid so. “Every building on Main Street has a ghost story,” said Derek Spence, head wraith wrangler for his new endeavor, Fredericksburg Ghost Tours. “The hardest part has been narrowing the scope to keep the...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 27, 2018 | All Articles, Events, Music, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Sept 26, 2018–When you talk about “picking” with folk and bluegrass singer/songwriters Katy Lou and Penny Lea Clark, you need to make sure you are talking about playing music and not harvesting the colorful legumes that gave their band its name–The Purple Hulls....
